


Journey to Family

by Diary



Category: Scandal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 04, Awkward Conversations, Bechdel Test Fail, Break Up, Canon Character of Color, Canon Gay Character, Confessions, Confrontations, Family, Gen, Honesty, Late Night Conversations, Love, M/M, Male Friendship, Post-Season/Series 03 AU, Pre-Episode AU: s04e17 Put a Ring on It, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-10 00:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6930886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU of Michael and Cyrus's engagement. Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Journey to Family

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Scandal.

Ethan wishes there were some protocol he could look up for _the scum who helped blackmail your boss is here, but being rude to him will only cause more trouble for said boss_.

“Uh, if you’d like to wait, Mr Beene is-”

Making a small noise, Michael sets a book down on the desk. “Let’s not pretend. You’re loyal to Cyrus, and we all know he hates me. And that’s fine. This was delivered to the house earlier. No note. Make sure he gets it.”

He walks away.

Uneasily, Ethan watches him and tries not to think about the look he saw in his eyes.

…

The book niggles in the back of Cyrus’s mind all day.

He’s wanted a hardcopy for years, but he’s never been able to find one. People have anonymously sent gifts to his house, especially after James’s death, but for someone to send such an expensive, rare copy-

Sighing, he goes inside the house, changes, goes to Ella’s room, and pauses when he comes across the opened door and sees her trying and failing to tie a tie around Michael’s neck.

Looking up, Michael reaches over and touches her shoulder. “Hey, sweetheart, your daddy’s home.”

Ella turns around and toddles over. “Dada,” she greets. “I’m learning how to do ties.”

Kneeling down, he says, “Oh, are you? Maybe you can do mine in the mornings.”

“You get up too early,” she responds. “Uncle Michael could, though. He’s really good at it.”

Kissing her, he says, “Well, have fun. Tell Michael, after you learn, I need to have an adult conversation with him, okay?”

Nodding, she heads back over to Michael.

…

In the kitchen, Michael says, “Ella’s asleep. If you don’t want me around her, you should hire a night-time nanny, too. Susie can only be expected to stay so late. She wanted to know how ties worked, and so, I-”

“Could you and I just- have a civilised discussion? I won’t insult you, and you don’t call me Satan.”

For a long moment, Michael doesn’t answer, but then, he nods. “Okay.” He sits down.

“That book- how was it delivered? Where did it come from? The packaging?”

“The packaging went away with the rest of the recycling. It came by FedEx. I signed for it.”

“I- I told you once how much I wanted a hardcopy.”

Michael shrugs. “I guess you’re lucky, then.”

Cyrus takes a steadying breath. “I don’t want- this. After you graduate, if you got a job out of state, I’d give you the three million. We both sign an NDA. And we break the engagement, citing your job.”

There’s more silence.

“Fine,” Michael says. “Have Olivia Pope draw up a new contract. I’ll sign it.”

“What else are you going to want?”

“I want you to stop being Satan,” Michael answers. “You hate me. I can’t change that. Would it kill you, though, to acknowledge that I’m a human being? Yeah, I’m free to leave, but I really don’t have any place to go, and you make this house a prison. I leave my designated area, and you either completely ignore me or you treat me like dirt. I do go out, and you repeatedly stress what I can and can’t do. Newsflash: I’m not an idiot, and if this fake engagement fails, if it fails under the wrong circumstances, I’ll suffer more than you. You have the whole White House in your corner. I have no one.”

“I’ll try,” Cyrus manages to say.

Nodding, Michael gets up and starts to leave.

“Uh, wait.” When Michael turns, Cyrus demands, “How am I the bad guy in this scenario? I paid for sex, something I’ve never believed in. So, if I’d gotten caught and been punished with you not, that would be, not fine, but I’d have no moral high ground. I’ve always thought johns should be the ones law enforcement goes after. Except, you set me up.”

“You promised privacy and discretion, and I was photographed doing incredibly- Pictures of me naked, pictures of me having sex, are out there. Because of you. My little girl might see them someday.”

“I s-shouldn’t use my grief for James as an excuse. I wasn’t naïve or deluded enough to think you liked me as much as you pretended you did. And I will be the first to admit I’ve done despicable, unforgivable things in my life. But in this one instance, I was lonely, numb, and just- just being able to escape in someone else’s touch- You’re young, and you’re strong, and you’re handsome. I’m a middle-aged man who has the White House in my corner because, unlike the rest of my failing body, my brain is still as sharp as ever.”

“So, yes, I’ve tried to ignore you, and when I couldn’t, I’ve lashed out. Maybe you’d suffer more, but if this fake engagement fails under the wrong circumstances, I will, too. I’ll be the pathetic gay stereotype, again.”

Michael sits back down. “This isn’t a sob story. None of it excuses what I did. I hate pity, but maybe, if you can see my perspective, you’ll stop hating me, at least.”

Wearily, Cyrus starts, “I don’t ha-”

“Sixteen years old, my mom drops me off at a bus station with a suitcase full of clothes and three hundred dollars. A little over a year before, everyone finally got conformation on what they all knew. There was a boy in my science class, and I was- so stupid. I thought he liked me, that he got me. I- it hurt, and we weren’t safe. That didn’t matter, though, because, I was already planning our entire life out together.”

“People found out, he became my biggest attacker, and my parents sent me to a camp. Two times, actually. Conversion therapy. Needless to say, it didn’t work.”

Getting up, Michael pours a glass of water for himself and a glass of tea for Cyrus. “So, three hundred dollars- it didn’t last anytime at all. I did anything I had to. Eventually, I got a G.E.D., and- Yes, it’s racist as hell, but I’ve always been attached to Gone With the Wind. Minus the racism, I decided to be like Scarlet O’Hara. I was going to make something of myself, and hopefully, in the process, I’d find someone who would love me. Care about me. Take care of me, in a way.”

“If it helps at all, I felt guilty. I wasn’t pretending to like you, Cyrus. I did. I just- I know you losing James doesn’t, can’t, compare, but I was numb and lonely, too. I was just better at hiding it. What Liz was offering- I’d never gotten such a good offer. Leaving hooking behind and finally having some stability and true comfort was so close I could almost taste it.”

He lets out a shuddery breath.

They sit.

Eventually, Cyrus says, “Look at me.”

Reluctantly, Michael does.

“I don’t hate you. You are a human being, and- I didn’t really acknowledge that. You’re right. About that. But the truth is, I don’t know you. That’s on both of us. I’m sorry you went through so much when you were younger. That’s not pity. No one should have to go through something like that, and I’m sorry that you and other people have, that there are people out there who still do."   

Michael nods. “Thanks.”

“This fake engagement doesn’t have to keep being like this for us. I’ll try not to be Satan. Just don’t expect me to warm to you. That’s not going to happen. I’ll be civil. You be civil back. And soon enough, we can both go our separate ways. You’ll have the life you want, and I’ll be able to start getting over all of this.”

Looking down, Michael nods. “Deal.”

…

There seriously has to be protocol for this, Ethan desperately thinks.

“Uh, Cyrus is in a- Please, leave. Before you make things worse.”

“I’m not going to make things worse,” Michael assures him. “He isn’t allowed to yell at me. And he’ll feel better once he eats some of this. Now, I can stand here with this in my hands for as long as you want, but when he comes out- he’s still allowed to yell at you.”

Before Ethan can text Abby begging for help, Cyrus comes out, takes in Michael, and demands, “Why are you here?”

“Hello to you, too,” Michael says. Moving over, he sets the pan of lasagne in Cyrus’s hands. “You’ve been pulling all-nighters and living on takeout for almost three days. This doesn’t strike me as conducive to you staying alive and non-comatose, and aside from how it’d affect Ella, I shudder to think what the press would say about me if I let my fiancé work himself into a coma. So, you don’t have to talk to me, but I’m sitting in your office for thirty minutes, and you’re going to eat some of this and not do any work.”

Cyrus sputters, Michael gently pushes him inside, and the office door shuts.

Ethan wonders why Secret Service isn’t around when they might actually be necessary and debates still sending the S.O.S text to Abby.

…

“Oh, my God, this is delicious!”

Michael’s brilliantly bright smile is shyer and softer than Cyrus has ever seen it. “Good. Now, you’re going to cooperate and stop trying to re-plug your computer in with your foot?”

Swallowing another bite, Cyrus insists, “You shouldn’t have unplugged it. You could have lost sensitive-”

“I made sure everything was closed.”

“There were sensitive, classified materials-”

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to book a flight to Russia before telling everyone that I saw reports full of numbers and legalese for about twenty seconds max on your computer. The debates and protests and Congressional hearings this will cause- it might take years for the country to recover from such information.”

Laughing, Cyrus shakes his head. “Thank you.” He gestures to the food. “For this.”

“No problem,” Michael says.

“You made this?”

Michael nods. “When I was about four or five, my mom got this idea that parenting meant teaching your kid necessary life skills, and she started to teach me how to cook. I learned quick, and we were both happy for a while. Then, my dad got mad and made me stop. He also made it clear she wouldn’t be teaching me how to sew. Now, they probably both think that her teaching me has something to do with me being gay.”

Cyrus makes a sympathetic noise.

Shrugging, Michael says, “Now’s as good as time as any to start back up. Before all of this- I could have cooked, but it was just easier to stick to restaurants and the microwave.”

“You mentioned Ella. How is she doing?”

“Good,” Michael answers with no disapproval in his voice. “She misses you, but she understands you do important work. She’s proud of you. Did you see what she wrote about you and James for her class?”

“No,” Cyrus sighs.

“It’s okay. Really,” Michael says. “I’ll show it to you, later, and maybe after whatever you’re working on blows over, you can start taking Sundays off again.”

“I appreciate the diplomacy.”

Reaching over, Michael steals a meatball. “I’ve never lost someone as important to me as James was- is to you. Having the money to make sure she’s being taken care when you can’t be around no doubt helps, but if possible, people need to work through their grief before anything else. You’ve never yelled at her or snapped at her, and when you are around, you make it clear how much you love her. That’s better than some parents.”

“I appreciate you invading my office and forcing me to take a break,” Cyrus blurts out. “I needed this.”

“You still have half a plate, and over fifteen minutes,” Michael tells him with a small smile. “You might be feeling better, but you still need this.”

 …

Seeing the light is still on in Michael’s room, Cyrus knocks.

Michael opens the door and looks at him in surprise. “Cyrus. Is Ella okay?”

“She’s sleeping. You look as though you haven’t slept in days.”

“You know I have. It’s the caffeine.” Walking away, he grabs some papers off his bed and waves them around. “This is alchemy or something involving the devil, not statistics, and my study partner is too busy with his grandma’s funeral to help me. I should probably be more sympathetic, but that’s another thing the caffeine takes away.”

“Right,” Cyrus says. He reaches over, grabs the opened energy drink on Michael’s nightstand, and grabs Michael’s tablet and textbook. “Kitchen, now.”

“What?”

However, Michael obediently follows.

Setting the tablet down, Cyrus pours the can out, puts it in the recycling, and pours a glass of water. Seeing Michael still has the papers in hand, he says, “Good. Sit down.”

Complying, Michael asks, “Why?”

“Since this is something involving the devil, you should let him help you. Do you know why you’re having trouble with this?”

“Cy-”

Cyrus reaches over and touches his hand. “It was a joke. Obviously, the caffeine has messed with that, too. If I’m not allowed to work myself into an early grave, then, you aren’t allowed to potentially give yourself a caffeine overdose. I’m going to help you with this, and then, your tablet and textbook go in my room until after you’ve had several hours of sleep. Now, do you know why you’re having trouble with this?”

…

Two hours later, Michael’s homework is completed.

“Thank you,” he blearily says.

Amused, Cyrus runs a hand through Michael’s hair. “My pleasure. Now, let’s get you to your room. Do you have any more energy drinks in there? Because they’re definitely going with the tablet and textbooks.”

He gets Michael stood up, and suddenly, a soft kiss is pressed to his lips.

Quickly moving away, he makes sure to keep a steadying hand on Michael’s arm. “Don’t,” he says. “Things have been better. Don’t make them complicated and unpleasant.”

Michael’s look is so hurt Cyrus finds himself feeling guilty.

“Sorry,” Michael mutters.

Moving back over, he says, “It’s fine. Let’s just get you to bed.”

…

Michael brings lunch. “Can we talk about last night?”

“Sure,” Cyrus wearily agrees.

“‘Complicated and unpleasant?’”

“I- barring the time I hired a prostitute, kissing is special to me. Important. I don’t kiss people unless we have a certain sort of relationship.”

“Okay,” Michael quietly says. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Fine,” Cyrus says. “Could we just move on?”

“Sure,” Michael agrees. “So, Ethan’s getting to where he doesn’t look pained and vaguely panicked when I show up.”

“You feed me, and I’m less of a Republican overlord,” Cyrus offers. “Come to think of it, seeing as how it’s my job to be that, there might be a flaw-”

“I don’t care,” Michael interrupts with a grin. “We’re still engaged, and you do not get to work yourself into a coma or worse while we are.”

Michael’s phone chirps, and looking at it, he adds, “Oh, and I owe you.”

“Hm?”

Handing him the phone, Michael says, “Highest grade I’ve ever gotten in that class. What sounds like a good thank you gift?”

“You not getting wired on caffeine,” Cyrus answers. “Next time, if your study buddy is unavailable, see if I am.”

“Will do, but more than that-”

Looking over, Cyrus says, “I do sincerely admire what you’re doing. I wasn’t the first kid in my family to go to college, but the ivy leagues? No one in my town ever got into Harvard. I did it all by myself, but it was hard, and there were times I would have given anything for a little help. So, aside from continuing to work hard and not mainlining caffeine, you don’t need to thank me. Really.”

The look Michael gives him is too- something.

…

“Hey. I got your call, but you never answered mine,” Ethan hears.

Jumping, he looks over and exclaims, “Oh, thank God, you’re here!” Realising he more than deserves the confused, suspicious look Michael gives him, he gets up from his desk and goes around. “There’s a man named Captain Jake Ballard, and I have no idea why, but Cyrus hates him. He hates him more than he ever hated yo-“

Taking a breath, he quietly explains, “Even before things got better with you and Cyrus, he never would have tried to kill you. He once literally, physically attacked Captain Ballard.”

“And now, this Ballard guy is here,” Michael supplies.

“Yeah. If you could just do something to keep Cyrus- I locked him in the copier room and stole his phone. I know that’s not the right way to handle things and probably illegal and,” he gestures to the box he’s packed, “I’m definitely fired, but you didn’t see the look in his eyes. Captain Ballard could and probably would snap him like a twig. And everyone else, they’d immediately tell me I had to let him out. Please, don’t tell me I have to let him out. Just do something to make sure he stays calm until Captain Ballard is gone.”

“Alright,” Michael says. “Take me to the copier room.”

…

The copier room is a mess, and Cyrus is sitting between a copier and the wall with his head in hands when Michael slips in.

The door locks behind him.

Carefully, he sits down near Cyrus. “Hey.”

“It was just karma,” Cyrus’s muffled voice declares. “What you did to me. I had no cause to be angry.”

Michael sits quietly.

Looking up with teary eyes, Cyrus says, “I’m not going to tell you what, but I’ve broken the law in big, terrible ways before. I almost- did something unforgivable to James. Then, I did. Daniel Douglas Langston was closeted. I got James an interview with him, expecting him to make a move on James, thereby giving me blackmail material over Sally. Instead, James figured it out, and- he slept with him.”

Michael scoots a little closer.

“Daniel Douglas died, and I truly had nothing to do with his death. But I did- help Sally cover up the true cause of his death. And all of this culminated in James being out that night.”

“Where does Jake Ballard fit in?”

Cyrus shakes his head.

“Okay,” Michael says. Moving over, he carefully puts his arms around Cyrus.

Cyrus tenses.

“See, the thing is, my parents threw a sixteen-year-old boy out to fend for himself when they couldn’t change who he was. And still, every day, I miss them. If they ever showed up and said they wanted a relationship with me, I wouldn’t even try to get an apology out of them. I’d just say yes. So, I don’t know if you’re really as bad as you’ve implied you are or not, but if you let me, I’ll sit here with you.”

Cyrus breaks into sobs, and Michael holds him tighter.

When the sobs subside, Cyrus mutters, “You shouldn’t be like this.”

“Unless you pulled the trigger yourself, there’s no reason for you to blame yourself for James’s death,” Michael responds. “But you do. And I’m the type of person who’s been dreaming of my wedding since I was a teenager but somehow ended up in a fake engagement.”

At Cyrus’s soft laugh, Michael continues, “Anything I can say to help?”

“No, but thank you.”

“In that case, you need to agree not to fire Ethan before I have him let us out. He may admire your sharp brain, but beyond that- I don’t know if ‘love’ or ‘adore’ is the right word, but he feels that way towards you.”

“Doing this was inappropriate, illegal, and-”

“Tell me you wouldn’t have risked Ella, Cy,” he interrupts. “Tell me you wouldn’t have risked someone having to explain to her why her dad was in jail or why you got hurt.”

“He didn’t do this for her.”

“No, he did it for you. That still means that we both get to go home to Ella and not have to try to explain uncomfortable, painful things to her.”

Grumbling, Cyrus turns slightly. “Okay. But he will still be punished.”

“We can talk about that once he actually lets us out,” Michael says.

Leaning over, Cyrus kisses Michael, and Michael starts to respond before quickly scooting away while keeping one hand on Cyrus’s arm.

“No,” he says. “If this was something you needed or even just wanted, I’d be happy to let you, but it’s not. I’m here, and I’ll stay here, but we’re not going to do something I know you’d regret.”

Cyrus nods.

…

After they’re released, and Michael convinces Ethan he really isn’t fired, they go home.

Later, the door to Cyrus’s bedroom opens, and looking over from his book, he says, “I thought we talked about you knocking.”

“Sorry,” Michael says. Coming over, he visibly steels himself. “Do you want me to sleep with you tonight? Just sleep, I mean. I know when I’ve had really bad days, I’ve never liked falling asleep alone. Having a body next to me made- it helped me.”

Cyrus hesitates. “What about Ella?”

“She sleeps with me, sometimes,” Michael reminds him. “If she’s curious, we just tell her that it’s the same.”

“Oh, well, that’s comforting,” Cyrus mutters.

Giving him a tentative smile, Michael shrugs. “We can tell her it was me who needed it, if that’ll help.”

Nodding slightly, Cyrus says, “Thank you.”

Going around, Michael crawls into bed.

When Cyrus puts the book up and turns off the lights, he slips under the covers and tenses when Michael’s warm, strong arms wrap around him.

“I’m not going to try anything,” Michael whispers. Snuggling closer, he lets out a soft breath.

Cyrus closes his eyes and falls into sleep.

…

A tug on his sleeve makes Cyrus grit his teeth.

Whatever is going on with Michael, he wishes he didn’t have to deal with it while at a White House dinner.

“Come on, Cyrus,” Michael quietly says. “One dance.”

Knowing he can’t yell, Cyrus takes a breath. “I’ve told you, I’m not dancing. You’re free to find someone else.”

“Probably not another man,” Michael says.

Thankfully, Ethan appears, but before Cyrus can say anything, looking between them, Ethan tentatively offers Michael, “I could dance with you.”

“Cy?”

“Thank you, Ethan.” To Michael, he says, “Have fun.”

He watches in relief as Michael and Ethan take to the dance floor.

…

When they get home, he makes sure Ella is occupied with her homework before going to Michael’s room.

Finding the door open, he comes in. “What was tonight about?”

Sitting up and setting his tablet aside, Michael asks, “Why couldn’t you have given me just one dance, Cyrus?”

Cyrus tries and fails to stop himself from sputtering. “I’m not the one who was- You found someone to dance with. You were acting almost as bad as Ella when she doesn’t get something she wants!”

“Guess it’s a good thing you won’t be seeing me for much longer.” Michael shoves the tablet in his hands and walks past.

Looking down, Cyrus reads, sighs, and sits down on the bed.

When Michael comes back, he’s wrapped in a towel and with dampened skin and hair.

Cyrus waits for him to finish changing and sit down on the bed to say, “If you want the job, I’m certainly not going to dissuade you. But if you don’t, I’m going to advise you not to take it. No one is talking about us right now. We can keep being engaged until you find one you truly want.”

“It’s my dream job, and I think I could like California.”

Considering his words, Cyrus takes a deep breath. “You’re a good person.”

Jumping slightly, Michael looks over.

Holding his eyes, Cyrus says, “I know that. You’re a good person, and you’ve been hurt so badly that, whatever claims you make to the contrary, part of you has given up on finding your Prince Charming. But you’re stronger, now, than you have been, and now, now, you have something, someone, who will make sure- You’re never going to get serious with anyone who you think might hurt Ella. Partly because you love her so much, and partly because, even though I’ve forgiven you for what you did to me and you’ve forgiven me for what I’ve done to you, I would never forgive you if she got hurt when she was visiting you. You’d never forgive yourself.”

Michael’s breath catches, and he scoots closer until they’re touching. “Cy?”

Cyrus takes his hand. “I promise, you can still talk to her and see her. Olivia would go after me if I didn’t let you. And someday, you are going to find someone who loves all the good and bad in you. They’re going to make you feel safe and loved and everything you’ve ever wanted. And if they don’t, it wouldn’t be wise to defend them, because, they will have made a powerful enemy in Washington. Even my affection for you won’t stop me from destroying them.”

Laughing slightly, Michael puts his head on Cyrus’s shoulder. “What about you?”

“I’m stronger, too. And if I stupidly got myself in another situation like this one, you, Olivia, and even Ethan would all make sure my body was never found.”

Michael chuckles.

“In all seriousness, when you leave, you aren’t going to be alone,” Cyrus promises. “You have people who care about you.”

“Thank you,” Michael says.

…

When Michael graduates, Cyrus takes him out to lunch.

“Before you leave, I need an honest answer to something.”

Michael looks up from his food. “I haven’t lied to you since we got engaged.”

Withdrawing his book, Cyrus asks, “Do you remember the day you dropped this off at my office?”

“Yeah. That night, we started our peace treaty.”

“You said that FedEx delivered it and you signed for it. I checked, and there were no FedEx deliveries in our area that day.”

Shrugging, Michael says, “I never said when it was delivered. I ordered it about a month before then, and it came about two weeks before that day.”

“Why?”

Michael hesitates. “That day, it was the date we first met. Knowing how much you regretted it, I thought, maybe, if something good happened to you that day, it’d help. I waited until I was sure you wouldn’t be in your office to give it to Ethan for you.”

“Thank you. You shouldn’t have spent so much money on me. I wasn’t- I’m not worth it.”

“You do know me better than that, now,” Michael says. “You gonna tell me what the graduation present you’ve been hiding from me is? I know there is one. Ella can’t look at me without laughing, but you’d be proud of her, all my coaxing and attempts at bribery have failed. She refuses to tell me anything.”

Laughing, Cyrus says, “You’ll see soon enough.”

…

The day Michael is set to leave, Ella wakes up in between them and turns on cartoons.

They watch with her until breakfast, and afterwards, he sits still while she sits in his lap and ties his tie before moving onto Cyrus’s.

“Hey, I’ll call you when I get on the plane, and you can tell me if Dada is keeping his promise and not working today, okay?”

“You changed the password to my computer! If I ever find out Ethan helped you-”

“There’s no proof either of us were responsible. But you know, maybe if you call me tonight, I’ll have a suggestion on what it might be.”

Ella rolls her eyes at them. “We’re going to miss you, Uncle Michael.”

Kissing her cheek, he holds her close. “I’m going to miss you and your dada, too, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I love you very much,” she tells him. Wiggling out of his lap, she adds, “Back in a minute,” and runs off.

Sitting down next to him, Cyrus asks, “You ready?”

“Yeah.” He takes a breath. “Is one last kiss out of the question?”

“No,” Cyrus says. He turns slightly and puts his hand on Michael’s neck.

Michael turns, and the kiss starts with two lips meeting and ends up being a little more than strictly chaste.

Breaking it, Michael strokes Cyrus’s cheek. “Thank you.”

Ella reappears with a picture frame containing a picture of the three of them together.

…

Epilogue

Over the phone, Cyrus says, “So, let me get this straight: This guy you’re seeing isn’t that serious, but you’re going to miss my birthday party to spend time with him, when you already have the option of seeing him every day.”

“I thought you told me there was no birthday party,” Michael says.

“I thought so, but then, I realised that Ethan was being particularly Ethan-y. I think we both know there’s going to be a birthday party.”

“And you just want someone you can torture when he hides behind Olivia?”

There’s a pause on Cyrus’s end. “You’ve already made plans to be here, haven’t you?”

Laughing, Michael declares, “I have no idea where you’d get that idea.”

“Michael.”

“Hey, what about you? This Tom guy you’ve been working with- it sounds like he likes you.”

“And yet, he’s not the one I’m going to torture when Olivia shields Ethan. What are you getting me?”

“Why do you assume I’m getting you anything? If I do show up, it could just be because I miss Ella and the others.”

“I’ll ask her,” Cyrus declares. “Unlike you, I’m not afraid to threaten punishment in order to get answers.”

“Yeah, we both know how well that worked last time.”

“I have to go," Cyrus says. "Have a safe flight. And remember to pack warmly. Unlike you, we have to deal with bizarre cold fronts suddenly appearing.”

“Will do. Bye, Cyrus.”

“Goodbye, Michael.”


End file.
